Yee-haw! Today marks the start of the one of North America’s oldest and largest celebrations of smacking animals around: the Calgary Stampede.
This event, which takes place in Alberta, is expected to draw over one million visitors, including Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper. What are these people flocking to watch? According to Calvary Stampede spokesperson Doug Fraser, 25,000 come to specifically watch calf roping. Calf roping is accurately described by SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) as “the most cowardly rodeo event.” This faux sport consists of macho cowboys roping baby cows that are usually about three or four months old. As the folks at SHARK explain, “the calf is roped so violently she becomes airborne before slamming into the ground. This process can break the calf’s neck, back or legs.”
Other intellectually stimulating highlights include steer wrestling and bronc riding. No word as to whether or not electric prods will be used for the latter event. There’s also chuckwagon racing, which has the dubious honor of being the Stampede’s deadliest event. According to the Vancouver Humane Society, nearly 50 chuckwagon horses have been killed at the Calgary Stampede since 1986, mainly due to crashes and the stress of the 10 day extravaganza.
